Pointing device

ABSTRACT

A device for permitting the use of an electronic device, communication device or other device as a pointing device. The device is characterised in that at least one or more pointing device components such as, for example, a mechanical or optical reader, button elements, a scroll wheel or IR port are integrated in the known electronic device or communication device, such as, for example, a mobile telephone, PDA or battery pack for a mobile telephone. The pointing device components may be provided in a new unit, which can be installed in the known electronic unit or the communication device. The device then assumes the characteristics of a pointing device, where the pointing device is capable of communicating with screen units such as, for example, a computer, a game console, PDA, mp3 player, etc.

The invention relates to a known device, which is modified to enable itto act as a pointing device or so-called mouse for use in connectionwith electronic or computer technological equipment. In the following,the term pointing device will be used, and this term also covers theterm “mouse”.

In today's society there is an ever-increasing need for availability andflexibility both at work and during leisure time, as well as in theinterface between work and leisure. The result of this is that manypeople find it necessary to carry one or more different units withmobile office functions, such as a mobile telephone, portable computeroften with an external pointing device, game consoles, Personal Dataassistance, PDA (small personal assistants). It can be a strain on theuser to constantly have to transport a large number of electronic units.For reasons of convenience, therefore, it will be desirable to reducethe number of electronic aids to a minimum.

It is an object of the present invention to be instrumental insimplifying the transport situation for the users of these electronicaids. The present invention therefore attempts to provide an electronicunit where, in addition to the electronic unit's main function, afunction is incorporated or can be added that helps to reduce the numberof units in the mobile office.

In producing the invention the focus has been on providing a device thatundertakes the function of an external pointing device, whichcommunicates with an electronic screen unit. It is appropriate to carryan external pointing device as extra equipment when the electronicscreen unit does not have an integrated pointing device or the screenunit's integrated pointing device does not work satisfactorily. Thepointing device can communicate with an electronic screen unit byinfrared transmission, by means of Bluetooth, via cable or other knowntechnology. In this patent application the term electronic screen unitincludes a computer, mobile telephone, PDA, etc.

A further object of the invention has been to provide an electronic aidor communication device, which can act according to its originalintention, but which also has a secondary function as a pointing device.

The basis of the invention is a known electronic aid or communicationdevice, which forms a necessary part of the mobile office, and which istherefore a unit the user will have with him/her in any case. In apreferred embodiment of the invention this original unit, which is to bemodified to form a multifunctional unit, may be a mobile telephone orcomponents that form a natural part of the mobile telephone.Furthermore, in additional embodiments of the invention, a PDA,mp3-player or a minidisk player may be used as the basis for theproduction of a multifunctional unit with pointing device function.

According to its object, the invention comprises the integration ofcomponents that are necessary for the known per se electronic aid orcommunication device to act as a pointing device. These components may,for example, be an optical or mechanical reader, various buttonelements, which, for example, when pushed initiate a choice as menus,acknowledgment function, pointing function, drag function, scroll wheel,etc. All components that are known from different types of mouse unitswill be capable of adaptation in the known electronic aid or thecommunication device according to the invention.

The different components mentioned above can be integrated in variousways in the known electronic unit or the communication device accordingto the invention. For example, the arrangement may be mentioned ofpointing device components in the mobile telephone body or in the mobiletelephone's battery pack so that the total arrangement is in the form ofa mouse unit. The pointing device components will be arranged in themobile telephone body in such a manner that the mobile telephone bodywill appear to the user like the body of the mouse. In this context thebody of the mouse refers to those external surfaces of the mouse onwhich the user normally places his palm for navigation purposes. It isalso within the scope of this embodiment for the pointing devicecomponents to be placed in the battery pack.

In a second embodiment of the invention the battery pack can be releasedfrom the mobile telephone body and act as a mouse unit that communicateswith a screen unit. In this embodiment the pointing device componentswill be provided in the battery pack. The screen unit may be the mobiletelephone associated with the battery pack, or another known screenunit. It is necessary to maintain the mobile telephone's power supply atleast at a minimum when the battery pack is removed from the mobiletelephone body. In this embodiment of the invention the mobile telephonemay be equipped with an extra battery pack, which remains in the mobiletelephone body when the battery pack that acts as the pointing device isremoved from the mobile telephone.

In further embodiments of the invention the pointing device componentsmay, for example, be arranged in a PDA, thus enabling this device to actas a pointing device in the same way as described for the mobiletelephone.

Within the scope of the invention as set forth in the independent patentclaim 1, it will be possible to install the components with mousefunction in all types of electronic units or communication units, whosedesign is suitable for contact with the user's palm.

In yet another embodiment of the invention a releasable devicecomprising components with functions that form a necessary part of amouse unit, i.e. the pointing device components, may be installed in toa known electronic device or communication device. As in the case of theother embodiments of the invention, with this arrangement the design ofthe electronic aid or the communication unit that permits it to befitted in the user's hand is utilised in combination with the functionalcharacteristics contributed by the components in such a manner that thetotal arrangement is in the form of a user-friendly pointing device.

The invention will now be explained with reference to FIGS. 1-6. Inthese figures the invention is illustrated as a mobile telephoneequipped with components with a mouse function according to twoalternative embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention, wherethe modified mobile telephone is seen from the front.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the modified mobile telephone in FIG. 1seen from the rear.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of theinvention seen from the front of the mobile telephone.

FIG. 4 illustrates the same situation as in FIG. 3, but here the mobiletelephone is viewed from the rear.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the battery pack removed from the mobiletelephone body with the battery pack seen from above.

FIG. 6 illustrates the same situation as in FIG. 5, but here the batterypack is viewed from the rear.

FIG. 1 illustrates an electronic aid or communication unit in the formof a mobile telephone. In the mobile telephone 1, there are incorporatedcomponents such as a scroll wheel/button 2 and an infrared port 3.

FIG. 2 illustrates the mobile telephone body 1 viewed from the rearwhere a battery 6 is connected to the back 1′ of the mobile telephone inthe normal known manner. Furthermore, a button element 4, for examplewith a “right click function” and an optical reader 5 are arranged atthe back 1′ of the mobile telephone body.

By installing the illustrated components 2-5 in the mobile telephonebody, the mobile telephone as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 can act as amouse unit that communicates with an electronic screen unit.

FIG. 3 illustrates the components scroll wheel 2 and IR port 3integrated in the mobile telephone's battery pack 6, which is installedin the mobile telephone body 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates the battery pack 6 arranged on the back 1′ of themobile telephone body. The figure also shows that the battery pack 6 isequipped with an optical reader 5 and a button element 4.

FIG. 5 illustrates the battery pack removed from the mobile telephonebody 1. The battery pack 6 with the components 2-5 acts here as a mouseunit separate from the mobile telephone body 1. During use the batterypack or the mouse unit's surface 7 will be in abutment against theuser's palm. When the battery pack 6 is installed in the mobiletelephone body 1, the surface 7 of the battery pack will abut againstthe mobile telephone body 1.

FIG. 6 illustrates the battery pack illustrated in FIG. 5 from the rear.The optical reader 5 is visible here and the button 4 is also shown.

Many modifications will be possible within the scope of the invention asit is set forth in the independent patent claim. The pointing devicecomponents may, for example, be arranged on a plate that is fixed to themobile telephone body or may be integrated in an extra module that isattached to the card end of the mobile telephone.

1. A device for giving an already existing electronic device anauxiliary function as a pointing device, characterized in that at leastone or more pointing components are integrated in the electronic device,thus enabling it to act together with an external electronic screendevice, which makes use of the pointing device.
 2. A device according toclaim 1, characterized in that the electronic device's already existingoptical or radio transmission means are utilized for wireless connectionto the electronic screen device.
 3. A device according to claim 1,characterized in that the pointing device components comprise at leastone of the following components: a mechanical or optical reader, abutton element and a scroll wheel.
 4. A device according to claim 1,characterized in that the pointing device components are integrated inan auxiliary unit, which is releasably mounted to the electronic devicein such a manner that the auxiliary unit can be released and act as apointing device separately therefrom.
 5. A device according to claim 4,characterized in that the auxiliary unit comprises optical or radiotransmission means that permit wireless connection to an electronicscreen connection.
 6. A device according to claim 4, characterized inthat the auxiliary unit is a battery pack.
 7. A device according toclaim 3, characterized in that the pointing device components areintegrated in an auxiliary unit, which is releasably mounted to theelectronic device in such a manner that the auxiliary unit can bereleased and act as a pointing device separately therefrom.
 8. A deviceaccording to claim 7, characterized in that the auxiliary unit comprisesoptical or radio transmission means that permit wireless connection toan electronic screen connection.
 9. A device according to claim 5,characterized in that the auxiliary unit is a battery pack.